Challenging Something New
同志社国際中学校

３年

新田真子

When I was in grade four, I made a huge decision to change aninternational school after spending two years at Japanese school in Malaysia.
My memory is little cloudy about the incident but the reason why I wanted totransfer to international school was because of the lady that helped me findable to understand what she was saying, she tried to find my parents as if I
would never be able to meet them again. Eventually, she found my parents
and they appreciated her and cried like babies. Because of this incident, I
wanted to be able to help someone who is need of help, like the lady whohelped me find my parents. Of course I felt trepidation and was worried
about changing schools because I only knew few basic words in English like“hello” and “thank you”. When I started, I didn’t know what the teachers or
my classmates were talking about so I was always the last one to understandand finish a task in class. I sometimes had to stay up until 3 a.m to finish
my homework with my parents, usually in tears. I had no one to eat lunchwith. I had no friends. One of my classmate hated me so much that she said,“I don’t like Mako!”, every single day in the voice that I could literally hearand she didn’t even invite me to her birthday party. I was heartbroken every
single day and grade four was such a dreadful and miserable year for me. I
really wanted to quit school and just give up on challenging something new.
But I didn’t, because I thought that I would regret quitting school in thefuture.
When I was in grade five, a girl transferred to our school and saved myschool life. She lit up my life with her presence. She talked to me and she
made me laugh and smile every single day. She didn’t care what the others
said about me, she never betrayed me and she was my first friend that I
made in that school. She was so benevolent that even if there were somepauses in our conversation, she didn’t mind. She taught me whatever I didn’t

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中学生―Ｉ部門my parents when I was lost in a shopping mall by myself. Although I wasn’t

understand and she was like a teacher to me. Because of her, most of myclassmates stopped talking behind my back and for the first time, I felt that Iwas able to get used to the school. I made a lot of friends and from then on,I was able to enjoy my school life. I had improved my English so much in ayear and was able to get a certification proving how much I had improved.
When I was in grade six and seven, I sometimes had tough times anddifficulties that I had to face but because I didn’t give up and my bestfriends supported me, I was able to overcome most of them and I was able tospend two years that I would never be able to forget about. From the tough
中学生―Ｉ部門

experience of being left out from the class as if I didn’t exist when I was ingrade four, I have talked to a lot of new students and included them in oursquad so that they will be able to spend amusing school life, just like what agirl did for me.
When I go through my memories, I don’t regret my decision to change
schools and I am so grateful that I didn’t quit halfway. I made amazing
friends and I was able to learn not to give up when facing difficulties. I havealso learnt an important lesson in my life; to help someone who needs help.
This could literally make their day. I am proud of myself for what I did in
the three years that I stayed at that school. I would not have participated inthis contest if I had quit school halfway because I was shy and I had no
confidence in myself but I am thankful for my parents for pushing me tochallenge something new and for supporting a nine-year-old through hardtimes because now, I am a risk-taker who challenges new things.

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